ArteCalle came to life because Andrea had an idea and a desire to do something beautiful in (and for) the town. In her own words, the idea “was to bring the flair of art into the village.” The intent was not only to beautify the town for the summer, but also to create a cultural art event that involved both local artists and establishments. The aim was also to create exposure for local artists and to generate interest in their works of art.

It was easy to get the local community involved because the project is such a creative one. Not to mention the fact that is has all the right ingredients in order to become a successful one. The concept is to decorate the streets and establishments of La Herradura with original and colorful artwork.

Different artists in the area will have their sculptures, paintings, ceramics and other art objects featured in various locations throughout town during the summer. There are 25 establishments participating in the project, ranging from the hotel, to boutiques, to restaurants and real estate agents. Naturally, the Town Hall is also very supportive of the project and hopes it will become an annual event.

Starting in July, you will see streetlamps throughout town decorated with large banners. Each banner, measuring 50 x 140 cm, will show a particular piece of artwork, the name of the artist, and the name of the establishment where you can view the original piece. The establishment pays a fee to sponsor the banner during this three-month event.

A brochure will be available that includes an ‘art-walk’ map with a route to follow in order to see all the pieces being showcased. Also look at the ArteCalle posters hanging in the surrounding towns for a list of all participants.

What a great way to spend the day in La Herradura – it sounds almost like an exciting treasure hunt to me! All the works of art will be available for sale through Kuerbis & Kaviar Art Studio. For more information see www.kuerbis-kaviar.com or contact Andrea at tel. 671 696 743.

The idea of the project is to facilitate young people from 7 to 17 years of age to get together and form bands. Very often, youngsters can sing or play an instrument, but never get the chance to meet up with other youngsters with the same interests and play together, and maybe progress on to form a band.

In February this year the first meeting of the Starfish Project was held and with the help of several professional musicians who have encouraged the youngsters, helped in the writing process and organised places to practice.

The project is run by unpaid volunteers, all forfeiting their time, talent and enthusiasm for the benefit of local youngsters, and obviously they need some help… so if you have an empty shop or garage where the bands could practice, let Stephen know on 678 195 536 or email spanishguitars@mac.com.

Anyone that knows me well will know that my wife Di, must return to work for those three months, after having our baby son Jack, and changing her three year career break into maternity leave. Now they want their pound of flesh, which means the Ed, and the lucky people of La Herradura will have someone who can actually string a few sentences together that actually make some grammatical sense, to write the section.

So I will be missing all the Blue Zone misery, crowds and extreme heat, and it will be up to someone else to find all the exciting bits of news and gossip in the village, and if you hear of any good stories being spoken of, then please email the details to the address on page three, and the Ed will chase up the story.

This was a serious exercise, and was attended by the fire service from Almuñécar and Motril along with the Provincial Park Fire Service. Ambulance crews backed them up from Almuñécar as well as Local Police and Guardia Civil from Nerja and finally a Civil Protection unit from Almuñécar.

The exercise was a complete success, with all the injured rescued, the fire extinguished and the road cleared. So, next time you’re on an airport run, you can feel as safe as can be in those long old tunnels.

Of course, the beautiful Hotel La Tartana will be one of the worst affected by this. With Penny sidelined, valiantly trying to ‘breath through the pain’ of her physio, this was just what they didn’t need.

But the team march on! I spoke with Barry, and he has said they will be open as per the hours in their ad, and he says the only difference to customers will be that a phone call to the restaurant before starting out is essential. That way, they can let you know if the entrance is closed and if there are any parking restrictions in place. They will even arrange a taxi for you if required, and anyone arriving by taxi will be entitled to a free bottle of house wine, or wine credit.

There may be other incentives throughout the summer (mind you, the bottle of wine sounds pretty good to me), but the most important thing is to call first, 958 640 535 as the situation with parking and entering San Nicolas may change daily.

The idea of the project is to facilitate young people from 7 to 17 years of age to get together and form bands. Very often, youngsters can sing or play and instrument, but never get the chance to meet up with other youngsters with the same interests and play together, and maybe progress on to form a band.

In February this year the first meeting of the Starfish Project was held and with the help of several professional musicians who have encouraged the youngsters, helped in the writing process and organised places to practice.

The project is run by unpaid volunteers, all forfeiting their time, talent and enthusiasm for the benefit of local youngsters, and obviously they need some help… so if you have an empty shop or garage where the bands could practice, let Stephen know on 678 195 536 or email spanishguitars@mac.com.

The Head Teacher of Las Gaviotas, Elena Castrillo defined the meeting as “an interchange of educational experiences within two distinct centres in both Andalucía and Serbia.”

The head of the Serbian delegation and group translator did not have to travel very far… Boban Stancev, lecturer at the University of Serbia, and resident of La Herradura, recounted his experiences of integration in the school community, and mentioned Las Gaviatos School, the Parents Association and the Musical Association who had, “welcomed me, as a teacher and as a parent with open arms.”

Now here is one of those facts that seem almost impossible to believe, but did you know, that within the student population at Las Gaviotas, there are 26 distinct nationalities! I’m sure you are all now saying ‘we knew that.’

The meetings were deemed a success and future collaboration is promised, with the delegation praising the beauty of the village and the diversity and professionalism of Las Gaviotas. Which is encouraging from a country such as Serbia where education is extremely important, a fact borne out by the Serbian Teachers Association having 8,000 affiliates and 80 associations within it’s cities!